Southern-Inspired Banana Pudding

I love layered desserts like this Southern-inspired banana pudding, as they are both fun to assemble and also fun to eat! For this recipe, try to use perfectly ripe bananas that aren’t too firm or too soft, and remember to reserve a few fresh banana slices to add on top, right before serving.

Once I have the pudding and whipped cream mixture ready, I like to assemble the banana pudding layers in a large clear serving bowl. You can serve the dessert right away, or leave it to chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

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Southern-Inspired Banana Pudding

I love layered desserts like this Southern-inspired banana pudding, as they are both fun to assemble and also fun to eat! For this recipe, try to use perfectly ripe bananas that aren’t too firm or too soft, and remember to reserve a few fresh banana slices to add on top, right before serving.

Once I have the pudding and whipped cream mixture ready, I like to assemble the banana pudding layers in a large clear serving bowl. You can serve the dessert right away, or leave it to chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water (chilled)
• ½ cup whole milk (chilled)
• 1 can (14 oz sweetened condensed milk, chilled)
• 1 box (3.4 oz Vanilla pudding mix)
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream (chilled)
• 2 Tbsp cream cheese (softened)
• 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Kosher salt
• 4 ripe bananas (cut into ¼-inch slices)
• 1 box (12 oz classic Nilla Wafers, ¼ of them crushed into small pieces)
• 1 oz dark chocolate (shaved very finely, as garnish)

Instructions 

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cold water, cold milk, and cold sweetened condensed milk.
• Add the vanilla pudding mix, and whisk until no lumps remain and the mixture is smooth.
• Place the bowl containing the pudding mixture into the fridge to allow it to set for roughly 4-6 hours.
• When the pudding is fully set and you are ready to assemble your dessert, remove it from the fridge.
• Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment to whisk together the two cups of chilled heavy whipping cream with two Tablespoons of softened cream cheese, along with the white granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and Kosher salt.
• When the whipped cream reaches a thick consistency (the “soft peak” stage), stir the whipped cream into the vanilla pudding mixture using a rubber spatula, until the contents are evenly combined.
• Assemble your layered dessert in a clear glass serving dish, with thin layers of the sliced bananas, layers of whole and crushed Nilla wafers, along with the pudding and whipped cream layers.
• Repeat the layering process until you have run out of ingredients, saving a few fresh banana slices and crushed Nilla Wafers to leave on top as a garnish, along with some fine chocolate shavings.

Notes

You can make this advance and eat it leftover, although the bananas will continue to brown after being sliced and exposed to oxygen.